Hand support for automobiles



Feb. 26, 1952 c, QRRJSON 2,586,986

HAND SUPPORT FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Sept. 21, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTORI. G/wafer E. Orr/50x7 BY 2 Q ATTORNEK Feb. 26, 1952 Q o so I 2,586,986

HAND SUPPORT FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Sept. 21, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 zzw Ezvroge. C/wesr A? Orr/50x1 Patented Feb. 26, 1952 UNITED STATE S PATENT OF F ICE HAND SUPPORT FOR AUTOMOBILES- Chesterv E. Orrison, Springfie1d,.Mo'. Application September 21, 1949, Serial No. 116,929 ,Glaims. (Cl. 105--35.4)

1. invention relates to automobile accessories in the-nature of=an attachable item adapted for releasableconnectionto-a part of automobile.

adjacent one-of the Windows" thereof and formed andarranged to serve as a hand support for one Ofthe occupants thereof.

Automobile users are well aware of the fact that from the standpoint-of comfort, there is a need for-a support for the hands and arms. It is presently the practice to lay Oneforearm uponthe lower rail of the proximal window; to rest an elbow upon such rail; to grasp certain of the framework forming a part of such window; or more often, to grasp the water channel or gutter that extends above the windows adjacent the lowermost edge of the automobile top. Such practices are of little comfort and on long drives particularly, the occupant becomes weary if for no other reason because of the fact that there is no convenientsupport for the arms and hands.

Accordingly, it is the most important object of the present invention to provide a hand support adapted for hooking either along the uppermost edge of a window or door or in the aforesaid water channel and extending downwardly below the uppermost window rail, the support having comfortable means to be grasped: by an occupants hand and thereby afiord comfort and rest.

Another-important object of thepresent invention iszto provide a hand support for-automobiles having a plurality of elements thereon that may be grasped by an occupantshand whereby he maychange positions; from time to time and thereby relieve the tiresome effects or driving.

Other important objects of the present invention relate to the way'in which thehand support forming. the subject matter hereof may: be made in a plurality of differing forms, all depending; upon thedesires of the manufacturer'oruser; together withmanyminor objects, all: of which: will: be; made. clear or, become. apparent asthe fol lowingsspecification progresses.

In the drawing 2..

Fig; lis a-perspectiye view of? a hand'support:

showing thesame. operably mountedz'upon an automobile.

Fig; 2 a perspective stretched-outview-show ing; the; form 'of'my inventionillustratedinll'ig; l

with one of. theuhandisupport's' thereof removed.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view thereof. showingthe: innermost face-.ofthe-support.

Fig: 4- isaiverticat. sectional view through the. door: of the automobiie shown ;i-mFigrr1,.il1uS r&t-= ing: onecdge elevational. view. Qfgthe: handasun port;

Fi 5 is aperspective view-"showinganother;

' the modification shown inwFig. 6i'wi-ththe parts thereof separated; and

Fig. 8. is a. perspective view-of anotherhand support made in accordance with mypresent in.- vention.

The form of my invention illustratedv in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive constitutes three parts. designated: by the numerals l0, l2 and M- respectively, all made in the interest of. inexpensiveness from. an

. initially flat, sheet of'relati-velystrong rigid sheet material thatisreadily bendable to-thesshapesih lustrated and capable .of retaining. such contour after complete fabrication;

The member- I 9 includes a. flat, substantially;

. heart-shaped portion 5- having the lowermost end thereof rebent inwardly into an:. elongated stem 20 having the longitudinal marginal edges thereof bent laterally and inwardly toward. each other and into abutting relationship; at 2'2, rendering stem 20; tubular throughout substantially its entire length. Thelowermost end of the-stem. 20: is ofreduceddiameter as at 24 and carries thereon a spherical part 26 forming a part or a balland socketjoint for receivingrthe member I2.

- Member l2 iselongated= and formed'fromv a fiat sheet of material. as. aforesaid, with the ends thereof tapered as at 28; In forming themember I2, the flat sheet of: material is bentalonga me.- dianlongitudinal line. to render the same arcuate in transverse cross-section;

th e;ba1l;2 6, but. the. opening- 32. isof. less diameter.

than the ball. 26 to; the end that member-t2 is permanently attached-to-the stem 20;

The member [.4- is formed in. much the same manner as the memberi2" in that the same is elongated andtransversely arched. It. is desirablealso that themember I4 be slightly arcuatelone. gitudinally as'illustratedinFigs. 1. to 4-. inclusive.

One end of the member I4- is providedwitha plate 3.4. haying the ,vertical. longitudinal edges.

rebent; toward eaclrother". fiQ present; a pair; of. U-shaped hooks. 3-6.. Hooks 136;. converge.'asz'th'e,

uppermost ends thereof; are; approached and. are

e adaptemtozba'iitted. over a-bracket 38..-.ior.mediom The inside diameter of the boss 30 is.

the normally outermost face of the portion I6 of member I0.

Bracket 38 constitutes a flat plate having the vertical longitudinal edges thereof bent in offset relationship to the plane of plate 38 to present a pair of opposed flanges 40 that converge as the uppermost ends thereof are approached in the same manner as the hooks 36. Thus the bracket 38 receives the end piece 34 of member I4 in the conventional manner. The connecting parts 35 and 38 for releasably mounting the member I4 to the flat plate-like portion I6, may be secured in any suitable manner such as welding or by the use of solder. It is contemplated also that the flanges 40 may be formed by stamping the same from the material forming the section I6 of the device.

In operation, the hand support shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive is mounted on an automobile 42 in the manner illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4. Such automobiles are provided with doors 44 having windowpanes 46 mounted within a frame that includes an uppermost rail 48. Such rail 48 has a top plate 50 that is L-shaped, presenting an up-turned flange 52 that overlaps the lowermost marginal edge 50- of the top immediately below a water channel or gutter 56.

As is clear in Fig. 4, the hook I8 of the member I6 is looped over the uppermost edge of the flange 52 of rail 48 in any desired position along the length of the latter with the: stem 20 extending downwardly below the rail 18. It is thus seen that an occupant of the automobile may grasp the support on the cross-bar I2 or over the laterally extending grip I I. The rounded surfaces of these two gripping members add comfort to the hand of the user and through the use of a number of difiering grips he may change positions from time to time as desired.

The user may grasp the cross-bar I2 either in its entirety with two of his fingers embracing the portion 24 of stem 20, or he may grip the bar I2 at either of its ends to one side of the ball and socket connection 26-30. Furthermore, because of the fact that the bar I2 is freely rotatable on the stem 20. the operator may swing such bar I2 to a convenient relaxing position. Inasmuch as the hand grip I4 is entirely removable from the member It, the same can be used only if desired and be normally carried in the automobile glove compartment until use as needed or desired. Also, members I4 and 38 may be eliminated entirely, if desired.

A pair of resilient bumpers 58 on the innermost face of the member I6 bears against the outermost face of flange 52 to prevent marring of the finish thereof.

A relatively tight grip between the hook I8 and the flange 52 is desired, to the end that the device will not readily become disengaged from the door 44. It is seen in Fig. 4 that the hand grip will not in any way interfere with the raising and lowering of the glass pane 45 and that the device need not be removed unless desired. The hook I8 permits ready dismounting, however, and the user may well carry the entire device within the car until use is to be made thereof.

The modification illustrated in Fig. of the drawings is like that just above described in that the same is made from an initially fiat sheet of material which renders the same inexpensive and easily manufactured.

The form of Fig. 5 is also like that of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive in that a flat supporting member I00 has the uppermost edge thereof rebent into an elongated U-shape hook I02 to be received by a flange 52 of an automobile door. The lowermost edge of the flat member I00 has an elongated stem IM integral therewith and depending downwardly, said stem I04 terminating at its lowermost end in a loop I06 disposed oppositely to the hook I02.

A polygonal, preferably rectangular, frame I 08 constitutes a continuous band IIO having a pair of end bars II2, an uppermost stretch H4, and a bottom rail H6. The uppermost rail H4 has an outwardly extending offset portion II8 adapted to be received by the loop I05 and the bottom rail He has its innermost longitudinal edge rebent outwardly as at I20. The rebent portion I20 presents a comfortable hand grip for the user who extends his fingers through the frame I98 when this hand support is placed in use. The distance between the up-standing ends II2 should be sufficiently great to permit easy insertion of the hand of the user into the frame I08. It is seen that the member I00 may be left on the automobile at all times in hooked relationship to the window rail and inasmuch as the frame I08 is'readily removable from the loop I85, the same may be normally stored within the automobile when not in use.

The modified form of my device illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 is much like that of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive in that a plate I55 is provided with a hook IE2 at the uppermost longitudinal edge thereof and a downwardly extending, elongated stem I5 integral with the lowermost edge of the plate 550 intermediate the ends thereof.-

A hand grip I55 differs however from the hand grip I2 of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive in that the same is removably secured to the stem I54. Hand grip I56 i initially flat and substantially circular and is rebent upon itself as at I58 along a diameter to present a rounded uppermost surface for receiving the hand of the user. Hand grip I56 is accordingly semi-circular and one of the sections thereof is provided with an elongated slot I60 that traverses the rounded uppermost edge I58 as shown in Fig. 7 and extends downwardly into an enlarged circular portion I62.

It is noted that the longitudinal edges of the stem I54 converge as the lowermost end thereof is approached and that such end is provided with an enlarged circular disc I54. The diameter of the disc N54 is slightly less than the diameter of the enlarged circular opening I62 and the width of the stem I54 at the point of merger with disc 560 is substantially the same as the width of the notch I50 above opening I52. Accordingly, the grip I55 is mounted upon the stem I55 by aligning the disc IE4 with the opening I62 and permitting the grip I56 to move downwardly where a portion of the innermost face of rounded edge I50 rests upon the edges of disc I64 adjacent stem I54. Thus, in the form of my invention shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the hand grip I58 serves much the same function as the hand grip I2 of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive but is removable in the same manner as the support shown in Fig. 5 for normal storage within the automobile while the plate I50 remains affixed to the window rail of the automobile.

The form of my invention shown in Fig. 8 of the drawing, is U-shaped, presenting a pair of elongated, substantially parallel legs 200 interconnected by an elongated bight portion 202. The uppermost free ends of the legs 200 are provided with hooks 204 adapted to be received by a flange such as illustrated at 52 in Fig. 4 and the bight 202 has a laterally extending lip 206 presenting a rounded uppermost edge for receiving the hand of the user. Lip 206 is essentially the same as the lip or hook portion I20 shown in Fig. 5.

The legs 200 of course, depend downwardly from the uppermost rail 48 where the lip 206 is presented to the user as a means for supporting his hand.

While it has been explained that the various modifications hereof are mounted upon the flange 52 of door 48, it is of course, apparent that the arious uppermost hooks shown in the devices might well be looped over the gutter 56 if desired and such operation is particularly adaptable with respect to the modified form of Fig. 8 because of the fact that the elongated legs 200 might well be bent inwardly at a point adjacent the lowermost edge of rail 48 to dispose grip portion 205 in underlying relationship to rail 48. The disadvantage however, of mounting the devices on the rain trough 55 is obviously that of interfering with the free opening of door 44 and forcing the removal of the hand support each time such door is opened and closed.

It is also apparent that the handle [4 shown in the modified form of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, may be eliminated entirely if desired, or may be readily adapted for use in connection with the plates I and I50 in Figs. 5 and 6 respectively. Furthermore, the removable hand grips I08 or l56 in Figs. 5 and 6, may be substituted for the grip l2 in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, and conversely, a ball and socket joint could well be provided for the frame I08 and stem I04 as well as for the hand grip I56 and its stem I54.

It is noteworthy that when the hand support forming the subject matter of the present invention is placed in use, a safety factor is involved in that the users arm and elbow are substantially within the automobile and not extended outwardly to a point where sideswiping might cause injury. Such is particularly true when the user permits his elbow and forearm to hang naturally within the automobile rather than in a rested relationship on the lowermost rail of the window frame.

Having thus described the invention, what is r claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. For automobiles having a body provided with a window frame and an upstanding flange adjacent the uppermost edge of the window frame, a hand support comprising an elongated, plate-like, relatively rigid member having an internal hook on one end thereof adapted for looped engagement with said flange, said member depending from the flange when mounted thereon; and a cross-bar mounted on the opposite end of said member, presenting a handle for grasping by an occupant of said automobile.

2. For automobiles having a body provided with a window frame and an upstanding flange adjacent the uppermost edge of the window frame, a hand support comprising an elongated, plate-like, relatively rigid member having an internal hook on one end thereof adapted for looped engagement with said flange, said member depending from the flange when mounted thereon; and a cross-bar pivotally mounted on the opposite end of said member for free swinging movement on a vertical axis and presenting a handle for grasping by an occupant of said automobile.

3. For automobiles having a body provided with a window frame and an upstanding flange adjacent the uppermost edge of the window frame, a hand support comprising an elongated, platelike, relatively rigid member having an internal hook on one end thereof adapted for looped engagement with said flange, said member depending from the flange when mounted thereon; a tubular hand grasp at the opposite end of member; a hand-receiving cross-bar; and a ball and socket, pivotal connection between the tubular hand grasp and the cross-bar.

4. For automobiles having a body provided with a window frame and an upstanding flange adjacent the uppermost edge of the window frame, a hand support comprising an elongated, platelike, relatively rigid member having an internal hook on one end thereof adapted for looped engagement with said flange, said member depending from the flange when mounted thereon; and a continuous frame having a bar mounted on the opposite end of said member and a second bar presenting a handle for grasping by an occupant of said automobile.

5. For automobiles having a, body provided with a window frame and an upstanding flange adjacent the uppermost edge of the window frame, a hand support comprising an elongated, platelike, relatively rigid member having an internal hook on one end thereof adapted for looped engagement with said flange, said member depending from the flange when mounted thereon; a stem forming a part of said member at the opposite end thereof; and a cross-bar provided with a slot, said stem having means thereon extending into said slot and interlocked with the crossbar for mounting the latter on the stem.

CHESTER E. ORRISON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,874,881 Brown Aug. 30, 1932 2,081,291 Creamer May 25, 1937 2,091,489 Prance Aug. 31, 1937 2,163,106 Schmidt June 20, 1939 2,194,461 Lilley Mar. 26, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 398,734 France Mar. 31, 1909 

